☰
HomeLiving Beyond BordersGZERO WorldSignalIn 60 SecondsPuppet RegimeGZERO World PodcastContact UsAbout UsCareersPrivacy PolicyTerms

The Graphic Truth: Olympic boycotts aren't new

December 12, 2021
Gabrielle Debinski
and
Gabriella Turrisi

Half a dozen countries have now joined the US in a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing, which kick off in February. China, for its part, is furious and says it will retaliate. Still, not sending government officials to attend the Games is not as weighty as governments banning their athletes from competing altogether. And there’s plenty of precedent for this — particularly during the Cold War era. We take a look at state-ordered athlete boycotts at the Olympics since 1950.

More from GZERO Media

GZERO Explains: How Trump’s executive order could impact millions of voters

US President Donald J. Trump signs executive orders in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 25, 2025.

Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that aims to secure elections by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. The order aims to guard against illegal immigrants voting in elections and would require all ballots to be received by Election Day.

China strikes back at the US with massive tariffs of its own

US President Donald Trump attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 10, 2025.
REUTERS/Nathan Howard

Wednesday’s tariff respite is firmly in the rearview mirror, as China announced on Friday it was raising its duty on US imports to an astronomical 125%, taking effect Saturday.

Hard Numbers: Zimbabwe's white farmers get compensation, Dems shine in first US midterms projection, Russia hits firms for helping “West,” shale oil braces for rocky days, Turkish journos face jail over protest coverage, Trump admin told to return migrant

A Zimbabwean farmer addresses a meeting of white commercial farmers in the capital Harare, at one of a series of meetings that led to a 2020 accord on compensation for white forced off of their lands in 2000-2001.
REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

South Sudan’s opposition in crisis over leadership change

South Sudan's president Salva Kiir, earlier this month. His recent moves against the opposition pushed the country towards civil war, but now the opposition itself is in crisis.
REUTERS/Samir Bol

The world's newest country has been on the brink of a return to civil war.

House passes budget framework, sets up huge funding battles

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaking at a press conference at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C.
ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect

The US House narrowly passed the Senate-approved budget blueprint Thursday, by a vote of 216-214. The vote unleashes the power to sidestep filibusters and deliver a funding bill to the president’s desk this summer.

About UsCareers PressContact Us Privacy PolicyTerms of Use
© 2020 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.